By Tunde Omolehin
Multimedia journalist, Rakiya A.Muhammad has emerged as the first-place winner of the 2026 International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ) -Wikimedia Foundation Open the Knowledge Journalism Awards.
Her story stood out among 320 submissions received from 40 African countries.
She took first place for her story, “West Africa’s Borderless Women: Inside the Yoruba Sisterhood Linking Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire,” published in RMTimes.
The report documents a decades-long migration pattern from Ejigbo in southwest Nigeria to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. According to Muhammad’s story, women from Ejigbo have become a dominant force in Abidjan’s markets and a key driver of cultural and economic ties between the two countries.
The story said that about 80% of Ejigbo’s funding comes from its people in Côte d’Ivoire. Commenting, Muhammad said receiving the honour renews her passion for telling stories that place African women at the heart of the narrative as active agents of development, leadership, and social change.
She added: “The recognition rekindles my commitment to documenting positive stories about Africa with authenticity and depth, while shedding light on the gendered dimensions often overlooked in broader discussions.”
Others named as recipients include Abiodun Adewale, a Nigerian sports reporter for The Punch, who came second for the piece “Breaking boundaries: How Nigeria’s U-19 women are rewriting cricket history.” While Angeline Ochieng, a Kenyan-based correspondent from Nation Media Group, received special mention for the story “The converts: How reformed midwives are ending maternal deaths”, which was published in the Daily Nation.
In a statement, Managing Editor of RMTimes Newspaper, Prince Tunde Omolehin, described the award as a testament to her dedication, professionalism, and commitment to impactful journalism.
He noted that the honour reflects the consistent quality, credibility, and public-interest journalism the newspaper has continued to deliver.
Omolehin, however, reinforced the newspaper’s commitment to promoting good governance, accountability, and development through factual, people-centred reporting.
The Open the Knowledge Journalism Awards celebrate journalism that provides reliable, well-researched source material for Wikipedia volunteer editors. Wikipedia relies on citations from published, credible reporting to build and expand articles.
ICFJ President Sharon Moshavi said journalism and Wikipedia need each other.
Moshavi added: “Wikipedia’s volunteer editors rely on independent reporting to build a more complete knowledge resource, and journalists benefit from the global and multilingual reach that Wikipedia provides. These awards recognise that relationship and the African journalists who are making our digital information ecosystems stronger.”
Anusha Alikhan, Wikimedia Foundation Chief Communications Officer, said representation remains a challenge. “Wikipedia is the largest encyclopedia ever assembled, but it is far from complete. Having stories written by Africans about the issues they care about is vital to ensuring the encyclopedia is representative of many experiences and perspectives.”
Olaniyan Ishola Oulushola, President of Wikimedia Nigeria and a member of this year’s selection committee, noted the quality of entries.
He said: “As a Wikipedia editor, I see in each of them an opportunity to improve information about Africa on Wikipedia. From documenting the history of women cross-border traders in West Africa to the achievements of female cricketers, each of these articles brings us a step closer to closing the knowledge gaps we are working on every day.”
Earlier in the year, African journalists living on the continent were invited to self-nominate articles they had written that help expand knowledge about Africa, with a specific focus on women , youth, arts, culture, heritage, and sports.
